


I Like Ribbons In My Hair

by Adventures_in_Writing



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Grimmons, M/M, mild transmysogyny from background characters, non-binary characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-04-07 07:40:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4254978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adventures_in_Writing/pseuds/Adventures_in_Writing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clothing wasn’t something that Grif ever used to think twice about, but over the years, that had changed. Grif was well acquainted with ridicule. Sometimes he would stare at the clothes in his cupboard, desperately wanting to wear the nice skirt with a cute top, or the pretty summer dress.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Like Ribbons In My Hair

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from Tumblr: Grimmons, where Grif is technically a transvestite, maybe his mom was kind of lazy and would get hand second hand clothes and didn't pay attention to what she was dressing him in and he just got used to it.
> 
> I'm a little worried about posting this one as it was/is the first time I've written characters that identify as trans or non-binary, but I kind of like it, so I thought I would share.

* * *

Clothing wasn’t something that Grif ever used to think twice about. As a child, he’d made do with whatever his mother brought home for him and his younger sister, Kaikaina. More often than not she would dress Grif in Kaikaina’s clothes and Kaikaina in Grif’s. When she left them, Grif and Kaikaina kept the trend going. It was something they were comfortable with. As they grew older, they became aware of the fact that perhaps they were a little bit different from the vast majority of other people.  
  
Grif was well acquainted with ridicule. He was normally too lazy to put up much of a fight but Kaikaina would give back twice as much as the bullies gave. Eventually, Grif stopped wearing his pretty dresses and skirts as often. On the days that he felt like wearing a cute top, he would stop himself. He could easily remember the laughter, odd looks and hurtful sneers and insults. Sometimes he would stare at the clothes in his cupboard, desperately wanting to wear the nice skirt with a cute top, or the pretty summer dress, but he would choose the long cargo shorts and t-shirt.  
  
On rare weekends, he would dress in his cute clothes and head out for the day with Kai.  It felt almost like a secret second-life and only Kaikaina knew about it.  
  
There wasn’t anything particularly special about this weekend. Grif had woken up that morning and had decided to wear a deep green wrap skirt and a cute yellow top with a chiffon overlay. He had pinned back his hair and had asked Kaikaina if he could borrow a little lip gloss. He was feeling particularly good about himself this morning and Kaikaina nodded in approval when he finally emerged from his room, ready to head on out.  
  
They had been browsing a number of stores, walking up and down the shopping centre. The pair had mostly been window shopping, but they had enjoyed their morning together thoroughly. It was getting on in the afternoon and they had begun to feel a little peckish.  
  
“What do you want for lunch?” Grif asked.  
  
“I’d heard a new cafe opened up just down the street a little bit. Wanna check it out?”  
  
Although new, the cafe was bustling. The majority of the tables had been taken and the waitstaff were hurriedly taking orders and bringing meals to the patrons. The interior was immaculately decorated, as though there had been no expense spared in the furnishings. The colours complimented each other perfectly and the decor contrasted in such a way that everything was coordinated just right.  
  
“Hello!” came the cheerful greeting and excited wave. “Table for two? Take a seat wherever you like.”  
  
Grif looked back at the person greeting people as they entered the cafe. He was tall and were he not so well-built, he would probably be lanky. He had sandy brown hair and blue eyes and a bright voice that seemed to easily be heard over the chatter in the cafe. Every so often you could hear “Hello!” or “Welcome!”  
  
Grif and Kaikaina took their seats and looked over the menu. No more than two seconds after they had opened the menu’s, Grif could hear murmurs from the table next to them.  
  
“Is that a man wearing women’s clothes?”  
  
“How could he go out like that? It’s ridiculous.”  
  
Grif’s ears burned and he lifted the menu a little higher to cover his face. Why did everyone judge? What was wrong with wearing whatever clothes he liked? He wasn’t making comments about their clothing choice, so why should they question his? Kaikaina turned to glare at the patrons in an effort to shut them up. As soon as she turned away, the whispers started again.  
  
“Oh my, is that his sister?”  
  
“She would look so much prettier in that skirt and top than those baggy jeans and horrid t-shirt.”  
  
Grif had slapped the menu down on the table. People could talk shit about him, but start talking shit about his sister? Oh, someone would get it.  
  
Someone cleared their throat.  
  
“Excuse me,” came a voice. “But I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”  
  
“Hey!” Kaikaina started.  
  
“Oh. Oh no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean you. I was talking to the rude people on this table,” the waiter gestured. “We don’t discriminate here and we expect our customers to respect that.”  
  
“It’s all right,” Grif started.  
  
“If you please,” the waiter continued, gesturing to the door. The woman and her friend left in a huff.  
  
“We won’t be returning here again.”  
  
“Your managers will hear about this!”  
  
“Won’t your boss be angry for that?” Grif asked once the two left. He didn’t want to be responsible for the ginger-haired waiter losing his job.  
  
“Not at all. Donut and his partner wouldn’t stand for that kind of talk in here. Don’t worry about it. I didn’t overhear much, but please don’t let what they said get to you. I think your outfit looks really nice.”  
  
There was a semi awkward pause. Grif hadn’t ever been complimented on his clothing. He didn’t really know how to respond. He didn’t think that the waiter was being serious, but he seemed nice enough and had kicked out those people for making rude comments.  
  
“Dude, are you trying to pick up dudes on the clock?”  
  
“Tucker!” the waiter exclaimed, his ears going red.  
  
“I haven’t got a problem with that!” Tucker grinned as he spotted Kai, “Hey, do I know you? ‘cos you look a lot like my next girlfriend.”  
  
“Hey!” Grif exclaimed. Who was this guy, trying to hit on his little sister?  
  
Kaikaina peered at Tucker. “What if I said I was a guy?”  
  
“Oh. Sorry. Let me try again.” Tucker cleared his throat to start over. “Do I know you? ‘cos you look a lot like my next boyfriend.”  
  
Kaikaina laughed and the waiter with the ginger hair gave Tucker a shove. “Go and clear table sixteen, jackass.”  
  
Tucker grinned. “Don’t talk like that around paying customers.”  
  
The waiter went bright red. “Oh my God, I am so sorry.”  
  
Grif shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”  
  
“I’m Simmons and I’ll be your waiter for today. What can I get for you?”  
  
“You can get that cute waiter back for me,” Kaikaina grinned.  
  
“Kai!”  
  
“I’m sorry…Tucker isn’t on today’s menu,” Simmons said with a slight smile.  
  
“In that case I’ll get the Caesar salad with an orange juice.”  
  
“Can I get a beef burger with everything and a vanilla milkshake?”  
  
“Okay, we have one Caesar salad, a beef burger with the lot, an OJ and a vanilla milkshake. Was there anything else I can get for you?”  
  
Kaikaina kicked Grif under the table and nodded her head towards Simmons.  
  
“Uh…was that Tucker guy being serious when he said you were trying to pick me up?”  
  
Simmons blushed. “Well…I uh…would like it if we could exchange numbers and meet up one day for coffee or lunch or something…”  
  
“And this doesn’t bother you?” Grif gestured to his clothes.  
  
“Are you comfortable wearing those clothes?”  
  
Grif nodded. “Then I don’t have any problems at all.” He scribbled a number down on a piece of paper, tore it from his order book and handed it to Grif. “Call me? Or stop by here one afternoon. I’m here most days. I’d maybe like to see you in a dress next time. If…if it’s not too much trouble?”  
  
All Grif could do was nod and wonder if stopping by tomorrow was maybe a little too soon.


End file.
